When Grades 7 and 5 science teachers, Lana Williamson and Jill Walker realized they were teaching similar learning targets, they decided to transition the computer lab at Edison Intermediate/Larry Larson Middle School into a place to conduct sun simulations. 

The Learning Target (Modeling Solstices & Equinoxes) required students to learn to trace the sun's energy and the role it plays creating air (wind) and ocean currents.

Seventh grade students explored, explained, and demonstrated to fifth grade students why there are seasons on Earth.  The fifth grade students explained the major patterns and cycles of the Earth.  The students also worked together to create short paragraphs using space vocabulary. 

Seventh grade students must fully understand the reasons the Earth is heated unevenly making cooler areas - high pressure and warmer areas - low pressure.  By modeling seasons, students can see where the Sun is most directly hitting Earth and which areas of Earth are receiving slanted rays. They have a better understanding of the difference between revolution and rotation and their influence on creating areas of high and low pressure.  Wind and water currents both move by convection from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.  

The seventh grade students had the opportunity to teach fifth graders modeling. They demonstrated the difference between rotation, revolution and the reason for the seasons, and then mentored the fifth grader students as they modeled the seasons.